


Vacation

by thatsoccercoach



Series: Which Door? [43]
Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Family, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 05:53:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14372313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsoccercoach/pseuds/thatsoccercoach
Summary: The Fraser's vacation in France has an unexpected outcome.





	Vacation

This story immediately follows [What's in a Name?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14217378) though it can be read alone (and will make sense) if you choose.

                                                                 [](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/470344754827775243/)

They were going on vacation to France. Yes, Willa was a mere three weeks old. Traveling with an infant was crazy, Claire supposed, but it was simpler than traveling with Brianna at _any_ age thus far. Faith was a cooperative traveler but she suffered from motion sickness much like Jamie did so they were both miserable upon their arrival. Still, the Frasers had a purpose. Two actually.

One mission was to spend some time away from their jobs, their daily lives, and the usual distractions. With the arrival of Willa things had become even busier and the “normal” chaos still remained. The only way for Jamie and Claire to set aside distractions was to physically remove themselves from the vicinity of them. They already had a purpose for going to France so they figured they may as well make an entire trip of it and take their time. The primary purpose of their travels had been to visit Claire’s friend Louise, her boyfriend, and their new baby.

Both Claire and Jamie had known Louise from school. Neither would have called her a close friend but she had sought Claire’s company consistently. At times, Claire would give in to Louise’s pleas and stop her rabid studying to go see a film or go shopping. Typically those were things she didn’t actually enjoy but sometimes even the most devoted student had to break free. Louise was the one person who could get straight-laced Claire Elizabeth Beauchamp to do that.

In their school years it had been clear that Louise liked to live life on the edge. She pushed all the boundaries. She learned what was required in class but often turned the work in late. Once she’d done submitted a massive project late just to upset the teacher and to fluster Claire, showing her that one actually _could_ live through the experience of a less than perfect grade. She dated older boys, college students even. She stayed out past the curfew of their boarding school. Louise drank as well, Claire knew, and she suspected that she’d dabbled with drugs though she didn’t know what. But still, everyone enjoyed Louise and the zeal with which she pursued life.

Though their friendship was unconventional Louise had regularly, though infrequently, contacted Claire after they graduated. Social media kept them in touch even if it was at a distance. Claire watched as Louise moved from one bustling city to the next. She followed her friend’s career in fashion as a designer, watched her flit from one man to the next and then finally seem to settle. Louise, though she still had a wild streak, had grown up.

Surprisingly, Jamie’s cousin Jared greeted them at the airport. Of course he’d known their itinerary. They’d planned to visit him as well. But they hadn’t been scheduled to see him for a few days yet. Still, there he was, SUV waiting, prepared to take them to their hotel or to his place, whichever they chose.

“But you needn’t have come to get us, Jared!” said Claire, clearly pleased that he was there anyway. “We would have seen you in just a few day’s time, but it is lovely to see you now.”

He kissed her on the cheek then hugged Jamie, thumping him on the back before reaching down to grab some of the extensive luggage required to outfit a family of five. “Yes, well, I don’t come under the happiest of circumstances and yet I wanted to be the one to come for you and tell you,” his face was downcast as he delivered the rather ominous greeting. “Come, let’s get more comfortable before I share the unfortunate news.”

They loaded luggage in the very back. Faith and Bree were followed by Jamie, Claire, and Willa in the next row. Jared sat in front with his driver and turned to face them. They talked of Murtagh since he was Jared’s family as well, caught up on how Jared’s business was doing, and spoke of Willa and what a marvelous addition to their family she was. After only a short time Faith and Bree fell asleep and Jamie pushed for some answers.

“What is the news, Cousin? Did something happen back home then?” Jenny, Ian, and their children were back in Scotland and quite possibly something could have happened to one of them. He was almost certain that if something was amiss with Murtagh, his cousin would have mentioned it in their earlier conversation. He couldn’t think of what else it could be.

“I’m afraid it is your friend,” he looked at Claire. “Louise?”

“What’s happened to her?” Claire whispered hoarsely.

“There was a car accident. I’m sorry to tell you that she and her boyfriend didn’t survive.”

Claire gasped in shock, but Jamie responded immediately. “And their bairn? What of the child?”

“Their child is well.”

* * *

Louise and Claudel had gone out to dinner with some friends the night before, leaving their infant week son with the nanny. Apparently they’d had drinks at dinner and were buzzed when they left in their car and had distractedly and disastrously pulled out onto the highway in front of a semi truck traveling at full speed.  

“As if that, driving buzzed, is _any_ different than driving drunk?!” Claire had asked, eyes blazing, angry enough to spit nails. Now they left behind their orphaned son with no living relatives and friends who would mourn the loss of two lively souls.

Jared’s driver had taken them immediately to see the baby, already in foster care, a mere two weeks old and without a home to call his own. Claire had scooped the tiny infant into her arms just as she had Willa earlier in the day and Bree and Faith when they’d been babies.

Jamie _knew_ what would happen. He had experienced this only once before, this clarity and certainty in spite of the utter absurdity. He thought back to the soul-deep knowledge that had driven him to ask his wife to marry him after only knowing him a few weeks. It hadn’t been logic that had prompted him then and it wouldn’t be this time either. That didn’t mean that things made sense.

“Ye are completely crazy, woman,” he muttered to his wife, already anticipating exactly what was going to unfold as he watched Claire with the child nestled next to her heart.

She stared at him with her whisky colored eyes, tears in the corners. “Can you think of any other way you could possibly live with yourself? Can you think of anything less that we could ever do?” Her voice quivered as she questioned him.

“Nay, Claire,” he knelt beside her, looking at the tiny baby, uncanily similar to his wife in so many ways. “But this isna a decision to be made abruptly or lightly. ‘Tis the lad’s future. And I dinna want you to feel as though you’re tethered down wi’ the bairns either. Ye’ve enough to do wi’out taking on even more.” But he almost smiled as he said those words because they really _didn’t_ need to talk about it. There could be no other way. His heart had already made the choice and he knew hers had as well.

“Can you bring the girls in? To meet him, I mean?” she asked him with a smile on her face.

* * *

“Itsa _boy_ baby?” Bree confirmed.

“Yes, lovey, Fergus is a boy baby,” Claire smiled as the conversation followed lines similar to those when Brianna had been introduced to Willa less than a month ago.

“Do you know something?” Faith asked seriously. “His hair looks like my hair when I was a baby. Mama, if we keep him, do you think you’ll be able to tell our pictures apart?” Her eyes were wide with concern. She’d handled being a big sister quite well but clearly there were some underlying concerns in this case.

“Aye lass,” Jamie bent and scooped her up, holding her close. “Wee Fergus has hair like yours but ye are a right beauty. I think he looks a bit like you because he’s meant to be wi’ us, ken?”

“I guess he could take care of Willa when I’m taking care of,” she paused and shot a Claire-like look in the direction of her red-headed sister. “ _Bree._ ” Her voice held a note of exasperation.

“So,” Jamie began. “Do ye think we ought to make ‘im a part of our family?”

“Dinna ken!” Bree quickly interjected, then added, “Willa are sayin’ ‘yep’ though.”

Claire smothered a laugh. Though Brianna hadn’t fully embraced being a big sister instead of the little sister, she _had_ been loving the opportunity to tell people what Willa was thinking. Incidentally, Willa’s thoughts were usually those for which Bree would get into trouble. Apparently _Willa_ thought children didn’t need to eat vegetables and _Willa_ thought kids could have three stories at bedtime.

“And Faith, what do you think, darling? I understand that it might be quite the challenge for you to be a big sister yet again.” Claire attempted to keep her bias to herself though she hoped that Faith would embrace the idea.

“Oh, I _know_ he’s ours, Mama. I am just worried about _other_ people getting confused about our hair. Can you do a _reeeeeeally_ good job with our pictures?” she asked with an intense look at Claire. It was Jamie’s turn to hide laughter.

“Well, I suppose I could, yes,” Claire smiled at her oldest.

“It’s _our_ boy baby now?” asked Brianna, interested once more.

“He’s going to be our _brother_ ,” replied Faith, another near echo of an earlier conversation.

The relaxing vacation took an entirely new direction as they began the rigorous and emotionally exhausting process of making the baby theirs. But soon enough, their family included one Fergus Claudel Fraser.

 


End file.
